Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
JUNE
A pollo closes the door and then leans back against it, watching me with hungry, lust-filled eyes, and I’m suddenly anxious about what to do next. I don’t necessarily feel shy, I’m just…unsure.
“Did they see you?” I ask.
“No.” He doesn’t move toward me, and his body is taut, his skin smooth over his defined muscles. I know from experience that his strong arms can just toss me about, move me wherever he wants me to go, and it’s so damn hot . “You do realize that they’ll find out sooner or later, right?”
I shrug a shoulder, unable to look away from him. Just by me willingly sitting next to him and finding subtle ways to touch him, they probably already know something is up. I tried to be inconspicuous because we’re keeping things on the down-low, but none of them are blind.
“What are you thinking?” he finally asks.
“I—” I lick my lips, wishing I had some water for my dry mouth. “I don’t think that I should have slept with you three months ago when you talked me into leaving that party with you.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “And why is that, Juniper?”
I want to growl and swear in frustration, but I tip my chin up and reply, “Because it was supposed to get you out of my system, but it just made me want you more.”
If I’m not mistaken, he almost looks relieved, and I’m not sure what to do with that.
“This is just awkward,” I mumble and finally look away from him, shaking my head. “And probably a mistake.”
“No.” He pushes away from the door and slowly walks toward me. “Not a mistake, Juniper. I didn’t work you out of my system either, not by a long shot. The more I had of you, the more I wanted, and it’s only gotten more intense every fucking day. You’re my last thought before I go to sleep, and you star in all my dreams. And if that weren’t bad enough, you’re the first thing I think of when I wake in the damn morning, too.”
His voice has started to rise, so I reach out and press my hand to his chest. “Shh. They’ll hear you.”
“Do you think they aren’t already wrapped up in each other? Trust me, honey, they don’t give a damn about what we’re doing down here.”
“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t want to think about what they’re doing. That’s none of my business.”
“Just like what we’re doing isn’t any of theirs.” He continues, and I wish he would freaking touch me . “Besides, you built this place and know the walls aren’t thin.”
“No.” His hand covers mine, which is still planted on his chest, and he trails his warm fingertips all the way up my arm. “They’re not thin, but still, we can’t get too loud in here.”
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” My heart stumbles at his whispered compliment, and I couldn’t stop my feet from stepping even closer to him if I wanted to.
Which I don’t.
“Apollo.” He tips his forehead to mine, and all I can do is take a deep breath as he cups my face in those big hands, pushing his fingers into my hair and holding me gently.
“If this isn’t what you want, just tell me to go.” His voice is thick with need.
“I don’t want you to go.”
“Thank God.”
His lips cover mine so tenderly that it catches me off guard. I’ve only been with him the one night, and it was a night of fast and hard sex, so I’d been expecting intensity. Urgency.
This isn’t fast or hard.
When his fingers graze down my cheeks to my neck, and his fingertips lazily brush back and forth along my collarbone, I’m pretty sure my knees might give out.
Before that actually happens, Apollo is gently guiding me backward until my legs meet the bed.
“We’re going to take our time tonight.” He nibbles his way over to my ear and bites the lobe before gliding his tongue over that extra-tender skin just below it. The shiver that makes its way up my spine has my breath faltering for a just a second. “I’m going to savor every fucking inch of your incredible body. I’m going to make you sigh, and then you’re going to scream.”
I lick my lips, completely under his spell. “No screaming with our friends just down the hall.”
“You’ll want to scream, then.” He smiles against my skin, and it’s just as sexy as the kisses he’d just been pressing to my neck.
Unable to wait any longer to feel his skin, I tug up his shirt until he has to back away to pull it over his head and toss it to the floor.
“You know.” I have to pause and swallow hard. “I’ve never been a woman to swoon over abs, but damn if I don’t like yours.”
His smile is slow and satisfied. “Is that so?” He lifts my shirt over my head and drops it onto the floor by his. “I love that you have little, tiny freckles on your chest.” He reaches back and unfastens my bra, and I let it slide down my arms and fall from my body. “And I fucking love the way your body responds to me.”
As if on cue, my nipples pucker under his gaze, making him smile once more.
In the soft light of the bedside lamp, we undress each other as if we have all the time in the world, and when we’re finally naked, I scoot back onto the bed and pat the mattress beside me in invitation.
“Join me.”
Before he does, his eyes go wide. “Shit. I forgot something. Hold on.”
He hurries to the door, sticks his head out to see if the coast is clear, and then he’s gone.
I’m left sitting here, wondering what in the actual hell he’s doing running around the inn stark naked. So, while I wait, I climb under the covers, but only a handful of seconds pass before Apollo quietly slips back into my room.
“You went out there naked. What if someone was out there?”
“They weren’t.” He holds up a long string of foil packets and grins. “I had to grab the protection.”
“Good idea.”
He tosses them onto the table next to the bed and then climbs under the covers with me. His warm palm slides over my hip, up to my shoulder, and then plunges into the back of my hair.
“I seriously do love your hair.”
“I don’t.” I gasp when he bites my neck again. “But I’m glad you do.”
“There’s nothing here that I don’t like.” He guides me down to rest my head on a pillow, and then he makes good on his promise to kiss every inch of me, exploring my body as if he’s never seen me naked before.
When he spreads my legs and nudges his shoulders between them before covering me with his glorious mouth, I have to grip the covers and bite my lip so I don’t cry out in pure ecstasy.
“Apollo.” It’s a whisper and a prayer as he makes me feel things that no other man has ever made me feel. Then, just as my legs begin to shake, he pushes two fingers into me, makes that come here motion that he’s so fucking good at, and I explode into a million tiny pieces.
Before I can fully catch my breath, he’s petting and kissing me as he works his way up my torso, taking his time to worship each nipple. It’s as if he doesn’t want either one to be jealous of the other.
And when he makes his way back to my mouth and settles himself between my legs, he kisses me with more urgency than earlier.
“That was pleasant,” I whisper as he breaks the kiss. His dark eyes warm and then fill with sheer determination.
“Pleasant?”
“Mm. It was lovely.”
“I see.” He reaches over to the bedside table, tears off a condom, and then proceeds to protect us both. “I’m so relieved that it was pleasant for you when I made your legs shake so badly that you had to bury your face in a pillow so the others wouldn’t hear you as you came.”
“Is that what I did?”
He slides inside me so, so slowly.
“There is nothing like this,” he groans, closing his eyes. “Nothing.”
“Look at me.” It’s not a question, and when his eyes open and meet mine, I cradle his face in my hands and lift my hips, changing the angle just enough to make us both sigh in pleasure.
“I won’t last,” he mutters as he starts to move. “You’re too sexy, too damn good. ”
“We have all night,” I remind him as he picks up the pace. “Oh, Jesus, that’s incredible.”
“Better than pleasant?”
I can’t help but laugh. “A little better, yes.”
He was wrong. He lasts just fine and sends me up and over another peak before he groans and jerks, his own release taking over.
Finally, I pat him on the back. “You have to move. Can’t breathe.”
He rolls to the side, but he takes me with him, still holding me close.
“I want a soak in that tub. I wasn’t kidding earlier.”
“Do I take this to mean that you’re not one for post-coital cuddling?”
I snort and pull back far enough to look into his eyes. “Does my personality give you the indication that I’m a cuddler?”
“No.” He kisses the end of my nose without releasing me. “I am, though, so stay with me for just a few minutes. I’ll even run the bath for you in return.”
“You’re bribing me for cuddles.” I’ve never been one for sweet touches and snuggling up. I wouldn’t know how to do those things. “Is that pathetic?”
“No.” He kisses my forehead and tightens his arms around me. “It’s normal. The cuddling part, that is.”
“Look, pal, if you want a normal cuddler, you’ll have to find yourself a different girl.”
“I like this one.” He relaxes against the pillows, just holding me tightly against him as if he does it all the damn time.
Honestly, it’s not so bad. I like listening to his heartbeat, and I kind of love the way his fingertips dance up and down my spine.
I’ve never been touched so much in my life, and it’s not horrible.
“Are we done yet?”
He laughs and releases me before he rolls out, and I shift just enough so I can watch him disappear into the en suite bathroom. I hear the water in the tub turn on and smile in anticipation.
I’ve coveted that tub since the day it arrived for installation. It’s pounded copper, and so big that I’m pretty sure the Olympic team could happily win gold in that tub.
I plan to relax in it until my bones are jelly.
So, I climb out of bed, tie my hair up so it doesn’t get wet, and then pad into the bathroom in time to see Apollo light a candle. Two more, which are already lit, sit on the vanity.
“Candles?”
“And wine,” he confirms. “There’s a note from Luna, suggesting you take advantage of these while you soak.”
“God, I love her,” I declare and reach in to test the water, which is perfect. There’s also a packet of lavender bath salts, and I add a handful of those to the steaming water before I climb in, rest my back against the end of it, and take a long, deep, satisfied breath. “Holy shit, I just died and went to heaven. Don’t try to resuscitate me. I’m happier here.”
He chuckles, and then the next thing I know, he’s stepped into the tub with me and sits at the other end, pulling my feet into his lap.
“Hey, get your own tub. In fact, you have one just next door.”
“It’s fancy, but it doesn’t have a gorgeous woman in it.” I crack my eyes open to find him smiling at me. “Hi.”
“Hey.”
“Wine?”
He offers me the glass, and I accept it, take a sip, and then pass it back to him. He sips, too, and it seems this is the week for sharing wine with the Winchester siblings.
“Close your eyes,” he urges.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” I lean my head back and close my eyes while Apollo begins to rub the arch of my right foot. The perfect pressure of his thumb rubbing along the arch of my foot sends me straight into absolute and utter happiness. “You have good hands.”
“They’re kind of beat up. Comes with the job.”
“Mine too. I have man hands with all the callouses and scars.”
“You don’t have man hands.” His voice is soft and soothing, and his thumb never stops doing delicious things to that foot. “You have working hands, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that.”
I don’t reply, and he doesn’t seem to need one. I’m so relaxed. Every muscle has just let go, and it feels as if I’m weightless, completely stress free and happy.
I’m happy.
I’m not typically unhappy, but I don’t know if it’s ever actually occurred to me before that I’m satisfied the way it does right now.
I guess excellent sex and a killer bathtub will do that to a girl.
Apollo switches feet, and I let out a soft sigh.
“You can stop doing that in about three hundred years.”
“Deal.”
Cracking my eye open again, I take him in. He’s much taller than me, so he’s farther out of the water, and I can see that he’s covered in goose bumps.
“You’re cold.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re cold,” I repeat and scoot back a bit. “Dip down farther. There’s plenty of room.”
He complies and then sighs. “Yeah, that’s better.”
“Silly man, you don’t have to be cold just to make me comfortable.”
“Your comfort is the only thing that matters to me.”
Not sure what to say to that, I close my eyes again and enjoy the feel of his fingers rubbing their way up to my ankles.
“Have you always been so… sweet ?” I ask, unable to stop myself. “Or is this just for tonight because of the sex thing?”
“You decided a long time ago that I was the villain in your story, and that wasn’t true.”
“It was kind of true.” I sigh with happiness as his hands reach my calf. “I mean, you were mean to me.”
“Once,” he clarifies. “And you’re so damn stubborn that you held a grudge about it for twenty years instead of just talking to me about it.”
“I’m not a good talker.”
“Clearly,” he says. “Do you want me to call the guys I was with that day and tell them that I do, in fact, like your hair and they can go suck it?”
“Would you do that?”
He’s quiet for a moment, so I open my eyes and find him grinning at me.
“If I knew who they were, then hell yes, I would do that, but I don’t remember.”
“Indigo Lovejoy was one,” I reply immediately. “And, unlike the rest of you, he didn’t laugh when you said what you said. I like Indigo. He’s a nice guy.”
“You have a good memory.”
“Hell yes, I do.”
“Who else was there?”
“Tanner wasn’t there. I don’t know where he was that day. There was a kid named Mark. Or Mike. Mick?”
“Mitch,” he supplies. “I haven’t thought about that guy in years. His family moved away in the tenth grade. I wouldn’t know where to find him.”
“You’re clearly not a woman. We can find anyone on the internet in about ten minutes if we have their first name and cup of coffee. But it’s fine. I’m just kidding.”
“I’m not. I’ll call Indigo tomorrow.”
I laugh and shake my head. “No, don’t make it weird.”
“We’re way past that, sweetheart.”
My heart stumbles at the term of endearment, so I close my eyes again, keeping it to myself.
“If I fall asleep in here, don’t let me drown.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Knock, knock, knock.
I open a bleary eye and then sit up straight in the bed in a panic.
“Shit.” I shove at Apollo, who’s still asleep. “Wake up. Someone’s at the door.”
“I’ll get it.”
“Shh,” I hiss. “No, you have to hide.”
“Fuck that.”
“ Hide , you moron.”
“Just crack the door open.” He flings the covers over his head, and I blow out a breath, wrap myself in the robe the inn offers guests to use, and walk to the door. After taking a slow breath, I open the door just a crack.
“Hi.”
Luna grins at me. “Hey. Good morning. Sorry if I woke you, but I wanted to bring you some coffee to get your day started. We’ll be serving breakfast starting in thirty minutes, but you’ll have a couple of hours to come down for that in case you want to sleep some more. I know we were all up late.”
“Uh-huh.” I eye the coffee.
“I’ll just bring this in and set it down.”
“It’s okay. You can set it there, and I’ll get it.”
Luna narrows her eyes at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, you just woke me up, and I’m out of sorts. Thanks for the coffee.”
“You’re welcome.” She sets the tray on the floor, but before she turns to leave, she asks, “Hey, have you heard from Apollo?”
“Uh, no. Why would you think that? I just woke up.”
“I knocked on his door, but he didn’t answer. Maybe he went for an early morning run on the beach or something.” She shrugs.
“Maybe he’s just sleeping and didn’t hear you knock.” It seems reasonable enough to me, and thankfully, she nods.
“You’re probably right. Okay, see you at breakfast. You don’t want to miss it.”
“Thanks.”
I wait for her to disappear, and then I retrieve the tray from the hallway. Apollo is sitting up in the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, grinning at me like he’s the cat who ate the canary.
Which is a really lame phrase, but that’s totally what he looks like.
“Don’t be so smug.”
“I’m absolutely smug,” he replies and takes a mug from the tray. “You didn’t kick me out this time, and I got to wake up with you next to me.”
“Hey, this is my coffee. Yours is outside of your room next door.”
“Fine.”
Naked as the day he was born, he gets up, checks to make sure the hallway is clear, and then leaves. A few seconds later, he walks in with another tray.
“You have to stop walking around this inn naked. Someone will see. What if Luna installed cameras in the hallway?”
That makes him pause. “Did she?”
“Not yet.” I grin. “But she’s gonna, so you might want to stop. Also, I didn’t kick you out last time. I woke up, and you were gone.”
“You told me to go.”
“I absolutely did not.”
He scowls over at me. “I distinctly remember you saying, go. ”
“Was I asleep? Because I do talk in my sleep.”
“No, you—” But he stops talking and then shakes his head. “Well, shit.”
“Yeah, we have to get better at the communication thing.”
He pours himself some coffee and takes a sip. “I wonder what’s for breakfast. I’m starving.”
“Me, too. Mira’s making it, so whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be delicious. I’m hoping for cinnamon rolls and bacon. There has to be bacon, right?”
“Not so fast.” He takes my mug away, and I glare at him.
“I’ve killed men for less than that.”
“Sure you have, tough girl.” He sets both mugs aside and then cradles my face in his hands. “How are you today?”
“Hungry.”
“How are you after last night ?”
“I’m great. Good. Doing well, thanks for asking. How are you?”
“Damn happy.”
There’s that word again. Happy.
“Yeah. Me, too.”
“Good. No regrets?”
“Not yet, but if you don’t give me back that mug, the regrets will set in real fast.”
He laughs and slides his hand down my belly and glides his fingers to my center. “I have plans for you. Then coffee.”
“I don’t know if I like this bossy side of you.” His fingers do something magical, and I gasp. “Okay, this isn’t so bad.”
“Let’s see if we can do better than lovely this morning.”